Our History
The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) was founded in 1976 in response to concerns that international development interventions were benefiting men and women unequally – to the detriment of entire societies. At the time, women’s roles and responsibilities, their needs and concerns, and their contributions and constraints were invisible to those who determined how countries spent funds to combat poverty, illiteracy, and poor health. ICRW was established to make visible the invisible.
In its early years, ICRW quantified how women contributed to the economy through diverse occupations and showed that a growing number of poor households depended on income from women’s labor. Our findings determined that the effectiveness of poverty relief programs were undermined by a misperception that households were led only by men. By not recognizing women as heads of households, programs failed to reach the most vulnerable among the poor. Even more, these poverty-alleviation programs did not capitalize on another well-documented reality – that when women control resources, their children are more likely to be educated and healthier.
Over time, our research and advocacy efforts have helped change the trajectory of women’s lives in developing countries. For instance, in the 1980s, ICRW’s research in Latin America demonstrated that if credit programs were designed to meet poor women’s needs for smaller loans and untraditional forms of collateral, women paid the loans back at rates often better than men. Today, millions of poor women worldwide benefit from microfinance programs.
ICRW also is responsible for uncovering issues that affect the health of the world’s women. In the 1990s, we were among the first organizations to document the impact of AIDS on women. ICRW discovered that women in long-term relationships were becoming infected with the disease because they did not have access to information about how to protect themselves from it. We also found that their economic dependency on men made it less likely for women to have the power to convince their partner to use a condom – especially when the consequence of doing so can be violence against them.
ICRW merged with Re:Gender, formerly the National Council for Research on Women, in 2016. Both organizations value the importance of research in shaping policies and services that empower women and girls, striving to improve their social status and economic well-being. With a rich history of advocating for women’s rights and human rights, ICRW and Re:Gender are respected research organizations dedicated to reducing global poverty by investing in the lives of women and girls. Our commitment is exemplified by initiatives such as the launch of our feminist foreign policy portfolio in 2021.
After years of thoughtful introspection and careful planning, and in alignment with our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, we have now evolved into a global network model that truly embodies the principles of equity, inclusion, and shared leadership we advocate for.
This purposeful transformation marks a milestone in our journey and the fulfillment of a strategic commitment we made together: to shift power closer to the communities we serve and build a structure that reflects the equitable world we seek to create.
Our new model encompasses three regional entities—ICRW-Africa, ICRW-Americas, and ICRW-Asia—collectively known as the ICRW Network. Each entity will operate autonomously under the leadership of its own executive director and be governed by its own independent board. Every region will set priorities rooted in its own context, ensuring that decisions align with local needs, realities, and opportunities. At the same time, ICRW is committed to remaining a globally connected organization—united by a common mission, vision, values, and brand.
Through research, advocacy, and services, we continue our work—partnering across borders to deliver lasting change for women, girls, and structurally excluded people.